Information can be transmitted over an optical medium such as an optical fiber or other type of optical medium. The optical medium can be used in an optical communication network, for example.
An optical time domain reflectometer (OTDR) is a measurement device that launches optical probe pulses into an optical medium under test. The light backscattered or reflected by the optical medium under test is analyzed to determine the attenuation loss and reflection profile of the optical medium as a function of distance. The distance to a feature of the optical medium under test is determined by measuring the time involved for an optical signal to travel to the feature and back to the OTDR.